


The Sole Survivor

by scythetrill



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Action/Adventure, Brotherhood of Steel (Fallout), Commonwealth Minutemen (Fallout 4), Drama, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family, Post-Apocalypse, Post-Nuclear War, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Sad, The Institute (Fallout), War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:42:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24127594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scythetrill/pseuds/scythetrill
Summary: On October 23rd 2077, the first atomic bombs fell on Boston, forcing Kate and her family to take shelter in Vault 111. 200 years later, our heroin emerges alone from the vault, and she now has to explore the devastated lands of the Commonwealth, searching for her missing son. She discovers an environment devastated by the bombs, communities that have rebuilt, and creatures born from radioactive fallout.
Relationships: Arthur Maxson & Female Sole Survivor, Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor, Robert Joseph MacCready/Female Sole Survivor
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. War never changes

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to mention that this fic is translated from French, my first language. If you see mistakes or weird sentence structure, please tell me. Tags may change in the future.

_"War. War never changes._

_In the year 1945, my great-great-grandfather, serving in the army, wondered when he'd get to go home to his wife and the son he'd never seen. He got his wish when the US ended World War II by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki._

_The World awaited Armageddon; instead, something miraculous happened. We began to use atomic energy not as a weapon, but as a nearly limitless source of power._

_People enjoyed luxuries once thought the realm of science fiction. Domestic robots, fusion-powered cars, portable computers. But then, in the 21st century, people awoke from the American dream._

_Years of consumption lead to shortages of every major resource. The entire world unraveled. Peace became a distant memory. It is now the year 2077. We stand on the brink of total war, and I am afraid. For myself, for my wife, for my infant son - because if my time in the army taught me one thing: it's that war, war never changes.''_

* * *

A sturdy hand wiped the surface of the misted mirror, revealing two faces: the one of Kate, thin, pale and covered with freckles. The second one, more robust and ravaged by the years of service in the army, was the one of Nate, her husband.

"You're gonna knock'em dead at the Veteran's Hall tonight, hon, said Kate.

"You think?''

"Absolutely. Now get ready and stop hogging the mirror..." she smirked.

The young woman came out of the bathroom, heading for the kitchen. She stopped in front of Codsworth, who handed her a steaming cup. Nate joined her afterward and sat down against the islet to read the newspaper.

"Ah, good morning, mum! Your coffee. 173.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Brewed to perfection!''

"Thanks Codsworth!"

Kate took the cup, put her lips on the ledge and took a sip. With an attentive ear, she listened to the TV anchor announcing good weather for the weekend.

Barely having time to finish her coffee, she heard someone ring at the doorbell. "Who can come and visit us so early in the morning?" She wondered.

Nate looked up from his journal and went to answer. He opened the door, revealing a man in a yellow leather trench coat and a hat, holding a notepad firmly in his hands. He was a respondent from Vault-Tec, who passed by regularly, but each time no one was there to answer him.

"What do you want?" The ex-soldier sighed, impatient.

Nice to meet you sir! You can't imagine how happy I am to finally be able to speak to you. I've been trying for days. It's really a matter of life and death, believe me!

"Well, I'm listening to you," replied Nate.

"I see that, I see that ... But I know you are busy, so it won't take much time." Time is uh ... a precious commodity. I am here today to tell you that because of your family's service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entrance into the local vault. Vault 111."

"But I have a family. Yo can fit us all, right?"

"Of course! Of course! Minus your robot, naturally. In fact, you're already cleared for entrance. I just need to verify some information. Don't want there to be any hold ups, in the unforeseen event of... ahem... total atomic annihilation. "he sneered. Won't take but a moment. "

"I can't wait for the world to end!" Nate replied sarcastically.

"Hahaha! laughed the employee of Vault-Tec. I like that! So let's see ..."

The respondent handed him a pile of documents pinned to the notepad, which Nate picked up with a raised eyebrow. He wasn't completely convinced that it was a good idea, but it was only to have peace of mind. He looked over the pages, signed on a few places and gave them back to the owner. Kate was scanning the scene from the kitchen, feeling that something was wrong too. She preferred not to say anything, since she trusted her husband.

"Great! I think that's all! Just gonna walk this over to the Vault! Congratulations on being prepared for the future!

"Uh ... thanks again," Nate thanked as he closed the door.

"Hey, it's peace of mind. That's worth a little of paperwork, right? Said Kate."

"For you and Shaun, no price is too high." smiled Nate.

"Good answer", chuckled Kate.

Following this discussion, Shaun began to cry from his bedroom. Codsworth appeared again in the kitchen, facing the young mother.

"Shaun has been changed, but he absolutely refuses to calm down. I think he needs some of that "maternal affection" you seem to be so good at."

Kate smiled and got up as she made her way to the boy's room. She went over the crib to caress the baby's soft face covered with tears. He fell silent almost immediately.

"Hey, I just fixed that mobile on his crib the other day. Why don't you give it a spin?" Suggested Nate.

Under this soft music, Shaun smiled and fidgeted. Nate approached the crib and kissed him lightly on the forehead. Kate turned to face her husband and suggested to go for a walk to the park after breakfast to take advantage of the good weather. Nate approved and exchanged a kiss with her. It was soon broken by Codsworth's worried voice coming from the living room.

The two parents left the room with Shaun in the arms of Nate. Everyone was looking at the television, without saying a word. The mother had round fixed eyes on the screen. Her pulse quickened with the words of the news anchor.

_"Followed by... yes, followed by flashes. Blinding flashes. Sounds of explosions... We're... we're trying to get confirmation."_

"What? What did he say?" Said Kate, started to panic.

_"But we seem to have lost contact with our affiliate stations... We do have... coming in... confirmed reports. I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania. My God."_

"N... No! That can't be true!"

"We need to get to the vault. Now! Screamed Nate. I've got Shaun, let's go!"

"Codsworth ... take good care of you..." sobbed the young woman.

"You too, mum... It's horrible."

The family hurried out of the house. Outside, we could see a feeling of dread on people's faces. Vertibirds were flying over the sky, while soldiers were blocking the streets.

_"Residents of Sanctuary Hills, if you are registered, evacuate to Vault 111 immediately"_

Kate felt her heart pounding in her chest. Everything seemed blurred around her; it was happening. The end of the world had arrived.

She continued to run and turned her gaze to a couple desperately trying to close a suitcase. Her arm got pulled by her husband, telling her that they didn't have time to help them. She shook her head and continued her way, still in shock.

The family stopped in front of a fence, where lots of other neighbors were screaming and crying. There was an officer at the entrance who was arguing with the same Vault-Tec respondent from earlier.

" It's absurd! It's me Vault-Tec!" screamed the rep.

"If you are not on the list, you do not enter."

"Yes, I'm coming! You will not stop me! "

Two soldiers in power armor were standing behind the fence. Feeling the tension mounting, one of them was threatening the civilians with a minigun.

"Who-oh! Calm down! I will file a complaint! "The Vault-Tec employee continued, hands up.

"If you are registered go ahead, if not, go home!" One of the officers ordered firmly.

The family walked toward the entrance and stopped. The soldier looked at them for a few seconds, then gave a look at his list. He moved on the side, letting the three pass the gate.

On the other side of the fence, a second man was waiting for the new residents, shouting at them to follow him. They continued their way to a huge platform where other inhabitants of the Sanctuary were.

"Get on the platform!" Put yourself in the middle! "

Kate grabbed her husband's arm and climbed the step.

"Ok it's good, let's go down! "

"We're almost there. I love you, whispered Nate in the ear of his wife, leaning against his chest.

"I love you too."

A huge explosion transformed the sky into a real blaze. The impact was so powerful that everyone thought they were losing their balance. The platform descended as quickly as possible, taking only a few lucky survivors into the vault.

* * *

The elevator finally reached the level of the vault. Kate opened her eyes. She was trembling like a dead leaf and tears were dripping down on her cheeks.

"We did it. We made it. We're okay, reassured Nate.

A grate went up with a screeching noise, giving access to a corridor and a staircase with two men standing in front of it, strangely waiting for the new occupants.

"Everyone please step off the elevator and proceed up the stairs" In order please! No need to worry, we'll get everyone situated in your new home, Vault 111! A better future, underground!" explained one of the men.

"If we had left a minute later ..." Nate whispered.

"No no! Don't get caught up thinking about all that. You're are safe now."

The young father walked in front of everyone, followed by the mother. They nervously climbed the stairs, then crossed a platform that led to a room where other staff members were.

_"Vault-Tec is here for you. All new residents please proceed in an orderly fashion. Welcome home! "_

Kate wiped her tears from the back of her hand and moved past a slightly corpulent man, who was directing her to go to the front table. A dark-skinned and short-haired lady handed her an envelope containing a blue jumpsuit.

"You'll need your suits before we take you further. Just follow the doctor, here. He'll show you where to go."

"All right, you three. Follow me! You're going to love it here. This is one of our most advanced facilities. Not that the others aren't great, mind you..."

They all followed him silently, gazing attentively at their new surroundings. "Need a little bit of decoration," thought Kate nervously.

"How long do you think we'll be down here? "

"Oh, we'll be going over all that in orientation. Just a few medical items we have to get through first. "

The couple entered a second room where a dozen of decontamination pods were standing in a row. The doctor led the family down the hall, and they stopped at the end of it.

"Just step in here and put your vault suit on"

Kate started by removing her shoes, which she put on the floor. She paused at her pants, full of shame. She finally took them off and inserted her legs into the jumpsuit, trying her best to hide her trembling body. She continued unbuttoning her shirt, revealing her bra. She quickly put her arms up to the suit's sleeves and pulled the zipper up. She switched her casual shoes with a pair of long boots and laced them with her sweaty hands. Entering the decontamination pod, she felt like her face has reddened. "Was it really necessary to strip like that in front of everyone," she thought. 

The pod's door closed. Her lover was installed in front of her with her son, still peacefully sleeping in his arms.

"The pod will decontaminate and depressurize you before we head deeper into the vault. Just relax." The doctor said while walking away.

"Time for a whole new life..." whispered Kate.

She felt pain in her chest at the sound of her own words. Images of frightened people, soldiers and an explosion quickly flew through her head.

_"Residents secure. Occupants vitals, normal. Procedure complete."_

Kate started to feel dizzy. She wondered if it was because she was anxious, or if something abnormal was happening.

_"5"_

Her pulse quickened like never before and her throat tightened, making her breathe with effort.

_"4"_

Her eyes were blurred. She then tried to knock on the capsule door, trying to warn the others that there was obviously a problem.

_"3"_

Her body became heavier and extremely cold. A tear trickled down one of her eyes, freezing instantly at the contact of the air. Kate passed out at the end of the countdown.

* * *

_"Manual override initiated. Cryogenic stasis suspended. "_

Kate's eyelids barely opened and she could only see the scene through the small frosted window in front of her. She then noticed that two foreign figures were standing next to her husband. One was a woman wearing a hazmat suit, the other was a man with a shaved skull, carrying a pistol in his hand.

"This is the one. Here," said an unknown female voice.

"Open it." Ordered the man.

Kate then began to squirm, despite the difficulty of her body to wake up. She was still refrigerated and very panicked. She tried to say a word, but not a single sound came out of her mouth.

Nate's pod opened and he began to cough.

The woman with the suit approached him. "Everything's going to be fine." She said, trying to calm him.

The father had no idea what was happening. He was completely lost. He felt terror rising inside his body, wondering what the two people wanted from him. In an attempt to dodge the lady who wanted to steal Shaun from his arms, the shaved-headed man approached and pointed his gun at Nate.

Kate was still hammering the door of her pod, with tears dripping all over her face. She tried to scream at the bald guy, but he simply ignored her. Shaun started to cry as he heard his mother. 

"I'm not giving you Shaun" yelled the poor Nate, still holding the baby firmly.

With no mercy, the man shot Nate and the woman stole Shaun from his father's arms. The murderer shared a last look with Kate who was desesperly agonizing, like she was just a caged animal. 

"At least we still have the backup..." threatened the man before leaving the place with the woman.

The poor mother was hammering the door even harder. She couldn't believe it. Her heart seemed to have been crushed into a thousand pieces. Her husband was killed in front of her eyes and her little baby got kidnapped. And meanwhile, she was still here, stuck in a pod, completely broken.

_"Cryogenic sequence reinitialized."_

Her breath stopped again and a horror expression froze on her pale face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked chapter one. This story will probably be a long one (around 20-25 chapters). I will also change the tags as the story goes. Feel free to leave comments and kudos, that would be highly appreciated :)


	2. Out of time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year everyone! One of my resolutions this year is to write more, so I will probably be more active here (yeah!). I worked really hard on the translation of this chapter, which was not that easy. I repeat myself, but if you see mistakes, please tell me since I'm always learning English. Have a good read :)

Black. It was the only thing Kate was conscious of. A series of flashes appeared in her head; the bombs, the vault, Nate, Shaun… Shaun. Her son who had been kidnapped.

Her frozen eyelids opened. Her view was quickly blinded by a strong white light, barely allowed her to see the frosted glass in front of her. Her body was weak and terribly cold. The blood slowly began to re-feed her lungs, causing her to cough. Besides searching for her breath, her chest and head ached like hell, like there was a knife stabbing her between her ribs.

Kate then tried to get out of her cage by knocking firmly on the door. It opened under the impact, letting the young woman fell violently on the ground. Her head hit it first, causing a long, unpleasant sound, echoing between her ears.

Dizzy, she slowly raised her head, followed with her upper body, leaning on her elbows. Her eyesight adjusted more and more, and she recognized the corridor immediately. With a little will, Kate straightened up on her shaking legs. Her throat tightened as she looked at the cryopod in front of her, the one of her husband. She placed her left arm over her chest and put her right hand over her mouth, trying to hold back a sob.

She wiped her tears from the back of her sleeve and took a deep breath. As she walked over to Nate's pod, she knocked a few times on the door to try to open it. Nothing happened except earing a pre-recorded message echoing through the room speakers:

“Critical failure in the cryogenic array. All vault residents must vacate immediately.”

“Come on! There has to be a release!” She screamed even if it was painful.

Kate turned her head and approached the control panel next to the locked pod. She pushed the opening lever with her shaking hands. The door opened slowly, letting a cloud of steam escape. She immediately felt her heart sink when she saw the remains of her husband. She approached him and placed a kiss on his frozen cheek.

“I'll find who did this. And I'll get Shaun back. I promise.”

Kate took Nate's wedding ring and slipped it into her finger with hers. She closed the pod door and collapsed in tears on the floor.

After a few minutes, she came back to her senses and stood on her legs, wiping her wet cheeks again. The room was poorly lit and empty of all human activity. As she slowly walked down the Death Row, Kate could not help but gaze in dread at the other residents through the other frosted windows.

“I can’t be the only one left...”

Dozens of lifeless faces, completely frozen in time were trapped in their cryopods.

“How many years have passed? If these kidnappers managed to find us, that probably means that there are still people alive somewhere. Where are the doctors and scientists? Maybe they stopped the others from kidnapping Shaun…” Kate thought with her racing mind.

“Hello! Anyone? She screamed loudly, trying to get an answer.

Crossing to the other side of the room, the survivor continued to explore the empty corridors. The same warning message was repeating over and over through the speakers of the vault.

Hearing the robotic voice, Kate was no longer in doubt. Everyone had left the place. All, except her and the other subjects.

In a room looking like a small cafeteria, some movement was felt in the back of it. Before passing the arch, Kate looked around for something to defend herself. Luckily, a baton was lying on the corner of a small table. As she equipped herself and slowly approached the problem, her body froze. A huge cockroach was roaming into the room. He was munching on the remains of a corpse that had died too long ago.

The insect spotted the predator who was preparing to attack it. Kate approached her enemy vigorously. In a split second, she managed to smash its shell with a good hit. Blood and greenish liquid squirted all over the floor and onto her boots.

“Giant roaches? What the hell”

As she continued to inspect every corner of the vault, she found herself in a sort of office. A terminal was sitting on the desk in the center of the room and a pistol was lying beside it. Wanting to swap the baton for the new weapon, Kate stumbled over a corpse on the ground, wearing only an old Vault-Tec lab coat.

The horrible smell went straight to her nose and the mother had no more choice but to vomit the remains of her stomach on the floor. She immediately wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. Her forehead was covered with sweat and her hands shaking again.

“Is that all… nothing… left?”

Standing up with the pistol in her hands, she examined the magazine carefully, and luckily it was full. Kate immediately remembered that afternoon she spent with Nate, who had taught her how to shoot before returning to war.

Back to reality, she had to find a way out of this place. The door at the back seemed locked, but Kate suspected that the terminal could not be there for anything. Sitting on the chair, she put her gun on the desk and opened the terminal. Oddly enough, this one was still working. Among the writings scrolling across the screen, she immediately saw an icon to unlock the door, which she selected.

Kate looked up from the screen and the sliding door opened in the front of the room. Before heading to the exit, she did not forget to pick up her gun.

In the corridor, her body froze as she observed a group of roaches scattered everywhere, some on the walls and the others on the floor. Fortunately, Kate was far enough so they could not see her. Her sweaty hands gripped the pistol grip firmly. She then dropped one knee to the ground, to crouch down. Putting her elbow on it, she immobilized her gun and aimed at one of the bugs.

The bullet went off, but only hit the wall. After a second of silence, all the cockroaches turned and headed straight in her direction. Kate stood up nervously, ran as fast as she could, and shoot in all directions without stopping. A few radroaches died because of the bullets, but half of them were still alive. Luckily the hallway was not very long, and Kate was able to quickly escape them behind a new sliding door.

She finally ended her way in the last room of the vault, where the exit was. Kate took a few seconds to catch her breath against the metal door, and then moved near the center of the place. A control panel was on top of a platform. Before getting there, Kate encountered another radroach, which she knocked out with her foot. It crashed under the pressure, splashing fluids again all over the floor, but reaching Kate's face this time. She wiped the pieces of the bug off her cheek in disgust.

Once the perimeter got secured, the survivor was finally able to climb on the platform to reach the panel. Another dead scientist was lying on the floor. This one caught Kate's attention and not just because of the bad smell. A sort of electronic bracelet was still attached to one of his arms. Leaning down (and covering her nose), Kate grabbed the device in her hand. She remembered that the orientation doctor was also wearing something similar. It was an old Pip-Boy 3000, a small portable personal computer. Maybe it could be useful for her.

She blew hard on the screen, creating a cloud of dust that made her cough. Her thumb pressed the power button and the screen lit up with a greenish tone. While inspecting the device, she saw some sort of cable attached behind it. Kate stretched it out and realized that there might be a connection to the vault door panel and her new bracelet. Her eyes lifted and she saw a dedicated slot for connecting the cable. Without hesitation, she plugged them all together. A message automatically appeared on the Pip-Boy: "Vault door access authorized". Kate took off the cable, then opened the cover of a huge red button. She hammered it in with her fist without knowing if it was the right button. A robotic voice and a shrill alarm echoed through the room:

“Vault door cycling sequence initiated. Please stand back.”

A complex mechanism unlocked the armored door and unfolded the access to a walkway that seemed to lead lower. Kate waited for the deployment and then crossed it while running. She went down the stairs ( the same ones that she had climbed when she arrived to the vault), to find herself in front of the huge elevator that led outside. Her feet instinctively placed themselves on the huge plate in the center. It got so rusty that you could barely read the "Vault 111" lettering.

Kate swallowed hardly and her eyes looked up to the sky. Her hands were so tight on her pistol that it turned her knuckles white. The vault suit she was wearing was still wet and sticky because of the melting ice from the cryo pod. Her body slowly rose over the metal floor, then the robotic voice recited a final sentence over the vault's speakers:

“Enjoy your return to the surface. And thank you for choosing Vault-Tec.”

* * *

The light at the end of the tunnel... It was the case. Kate's legs were shaking under the pressure. She bit her lip and breathed heavily. It was only a matter of seconds before she could put her feet on the ground. The real ground.

The elevator finally reached its first level, the surface. Kate instinctively covered her eyes, blinded by the strong harsh light. She thought she would never see the sunlight again. Her vision adjusted after a few blinks and her body collapsed to the floor in shock.

In the distance, she immediately recognized Sanctuary Hills, her home, which she left the day the world ended. According to her estimations, it was now around eight hours in the morning. The sunrays were piercing the thousands of dead trees all over the horizon, the morning freshness caressed her face under a gentle breeze. In her back, crows flew away from an old dead corpse, making her jump.

Kate walked down the elevator platform to start searching for goods in the command cabin next to her. In it, she did not find much, except human remains. Further on, the small yellow containers looked like they had seen better days. Finding nothing interesting in the area, the young mother took the small path on the other side of the fence, where she instantly remembered all the neighbors and this Vault-Tec rep, who really wanted to occupy a place inside this damn vault. Kate gritted her teeth as she saw all the corpses on the floor. They were probably these people.

Running across the small bridge, she stopped abruptly to catch her breath at the top of a small hill. The houses in the neighborhood were not in great shape, and they looked… mostly empty. Kate then walked towards her house but stopped to point her pistol at the moving silhouette, gently moving at the front door. Squinting her eyes, her mouth dropped as she recognized Codsworth, trimming the remains of a long dead bush. She began to run at full speed in his direction.

“As I live and breathe…It’s... It’s really you?” asked the robot, completely shocked. 

“Codsworth! Kate screamed. What happened... to the world?”

“To the world, ma’am? Well besides our geraniums still being the envy of Sanctuary Hills, I'm afraid things have been dreadfully dull around here. Things will be so much more exciting with you and mister back! Where is your better half, by the by?”

“They… they killed him.” Kate sobbed, her throat completely tight.

“Ma'am ... These things you’re saying. These terrible things... I believe you need a distraction. Yes! A distraction to calm this dire mood. It's been ages since we’ve had a proper family activity. Checkers. Or perhaps charades. Shaun does so love that game! Is the lad... with you?”

“Codsworth… Listen to me carefully… Did you see him? Have you seen Shaun?” asked the mother, still on her nerves.

“It's worse than I thought. You’re suffering from hunger… hunger induced paranoia. Not eating properly for two hundred years will do that, I’m afraid.”

Kate's eyes widened. “Two hundred years? What? Are you...”

“A bit over two hundred and ten years actually, ma’am. Give or take a little for the Earth’s rotation and some minor dings to the ole’ chronometer. That means you're two centuries late for dinner! Ha ha ha!” he laughed. “Perhaps I can whip you up a snack? You must be famished.”

The young mother looked at the robot again, knowing that something was wrong with her behavior.

“Codsworth, you're acting… a little bit weird” she asked. “What's wrong?”

“I… I… Oh ma'am, it’s been just horrible! Two centuries with no one to talk to, no one to serve. I spent the first ten years trying to keep the floors waxed, but nothing gets out nuclear fallout from vinyl wood. Nothing! And don’t get me started about the futility of dusting a collapsed house. And the car! The car! How do you polish rust?”

“Stay with me, pal. Focus.” ordered the young mother.

“I'm afraid I don't know anything, ma'am. The bombs came and all of you left in such a hurry. I thought for certain you and your family were… dead.” the robot replied, imitating a sob

The robot paused for a few seconds before turning around, then handed something to Kate.

“I did find this holotape. I believe mister was going to present it to you. As a surprise. But then, well… everything happened.”

Kate took the holotape while holding her tears. It was probably the last time she could hear the voice of her husband.

“Thank you Codsworth.”

“Any standard holotape reading device should be able to play it back. Like that Pip-boy on your arm. That should work brilliant.”

The young widow checked her Pip-boy and saw a slot at the back of it.

“Now, enough feeling sorry for myself. Shall we search the neighborhood together? The mister and young Shaun may turn up yet.”

“Okay, I’ll follow you then” Kate said even she knew that she wouldn't find anyone here.

“I am proud to serve you, ma'am!” The robot replied as he entered the house.

Kate inserted the holotape into her Pip Boy's player and stepped through the door carefully. A few coughs escaped her mouth at the cloud of dust that emerged in front of her. The hair on her arms stood up when she saw the interior of the house. Nothing really changed, all the furniture was placed the same way. The floor was covered with dead leaves and mold, the paint on the walls had crumbled and the roof seemed to have been mostly ripped off.

Kate felt her heart tightening when she heard her husband's voice and some babbling coming from her Pip Boy.

_“Hi honey. Listen, I don't think that Shaun and I need to tell you how great of a mother you are. But we're going to anyway.”_

From the first sentence, tears began to stream down her cheeks. Kate moved into the living room where the armchairs had practically changed color. The framed pictures that used to stand on the walls were now lying on the floor.

_“You are kind and loving.”_

On the kitchen side, moldy food leftovers were decorating the fridge. Kate opened the door, took an old bottle of Nuka Cola and wiped the label it with her thumb to remove dust. She then replaced it in its place. “Nate loved this drink.” She thought.

_“Look, with Shaun and us at home together, it’s been an amazing year. But even so I know our best days are yet to come”_

Kate went down the hall, then to the bathroom. She walked over to the broken mirror and got scared when she saw her reflection. Her lips were chapped, her pink cheeks covered with tears, and her puffy, ringed eyes made her look almost stuck in fear. The survivor left the room and walked to the right, into Shaun's bedroom. Her body froze in front of the empty crib.

_“Now say goodbye Shaun. Bye honey. We love you.”_

The recording stopped, leaving only Kate's sobs echoing through the walls of the room. Her left hand was resting on the edge of the crib, her right one made the mobile spin manually.

“I'm coming sweetheart” she whispered.

Kate stood up and wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. She finally ended her dark visit into the last room of the house, the master’s bedroom. The walls were cracked, the vegetation was fusing with the floor and a thick layer of dust covered the furniture. Kate took a seat on the remains of her bed and gasped loudly. She then glanced at the window in front of her. The fall landscape reminded her of many good memories, now far behind her.

The mother stood up from the bed and went after to the back closet where she touched each of Nate's hanging clothes. She touched a shirt, which she sniffed, trying to find a part of… him. Sadly, after more than two hundred years, none of the clothes held the slightest smell.

On the table next to the bed, there was a broken frame with a black and white photo of the couple in front of the Bunker Hill Monument. Kate was wearing a long cream coat and Nate was wearing a black suit. The young widow removed the photo from the frame, folded it and put it in her bra, next to her heart.

She continued to inspect the room, rummaging inside the drawers. She found Nate's pocket watch and opened it. It was obviously not working, but a small photo of the whole family adorned the cover. Kate bit her lip, trying to hold back her anger and pain.

There was nothing left but memories and… hope.

Her attention got caught on the floor, next to the broken bed, where a sort of strap was lying. Bending over, Kate tugged the strap and drag a military-style backpack. She tapped it to remove the dust, then unzipped the thick zipper. Inside, there was not much interesting stuff, only a couple of matches and 10mm ammunition. It was one of Nate's backpacks. Kate put the inventory back inside and swung it on her shoulders. She then went outside to join the Mister Handy, her 10 mm pistol still in hand.

“Your family isn't there either. They ... They're really gone?”

“Shaun’s out there, Codsworth. I need to find him.” She asserted.

“What about Concord, ma'am? Plenty of people there. And the last I checked, they only pummeled me with sticks a few times before I had to run back home.”

“There’s still people alive in Concord?”

“Yes, although they're a bit... rough. You remember the way? Just across the southern footbridge out of the neighborhood and past the Red Rocket station.”


End file.
